The National Space Defense Center is a partnership organization, strongly supported by both the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, that develops and improves U.S. ability to rapidly detect, warn, characterize, attribute and defend against threats to our nation's vital space systems. The NSDC directly supports space defense unity of effort and expands information sharing in space defense operations among the DoD, National Reconnaissance Office, and other interagency partners. The NSDC is a subordinate center of U.S. Space Command’s Joint Task Force-Space Defense, responsible for coordinating military, intelligence, civil, and commercial space for unified space defense operations.
The NSDC is located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colo.
The NSDC is a joint and interagency center that leverages unity of effort for:
- Data Integration
- Bringing DoD and IC chains of command (Title 10 and Title 50 authorities) and systems to the fight
- Conducting space Experiments, Exercises and Advanced Training
- Supporting and synchronizing space defense Battle Management Command and Control (BMC2)
The NSDC mission in unified action with mission partners is to:
- Conduct space superiority operations to deter aggression
- Defend space capabilities
- Defeat our adversaries throughout the continuum of conflict
By creating a unity of effort, the NSDC has:
- Formalized Partnerships across the spectrum of National Security space entities
- Established C2 mission systems that enable response to threats rapidly and decisively
- Established effective Indications & Warnings (I&W) and supplies Operational Intel
- Enhanced Mission Assurance for existing capabilities
- Defined Critical Information to be shared in a Common Operating Picture (COP)
The NSDC executes missions with experts from the:
- DoD military, civilians, and contractors- U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps
- Intelligence Community (IC) - seven agencies represented, civilian and military
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) – Cadre, military members, contractors
- End strength (including contractors) targeted at approximately 350 persons
Rapid Acquisitions and Prototyping: The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has been tasked to provide a Joint Emerging Operational Need (JEON) effort for the NSDC to provide capabilities to integrate systems and information at a “system high” level. By operating at the highest security levels throughout the operations center, the NSDC will become a singular center for the full picture of space activities.
- 14 initial JEON mission applications installation anticipated in 2019
- Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) will leverage rapid prototyping on site and accelerated acquisitions of capabilities and systems
- As capabilities and systems mature, the RCO will hand over long-term sustainment operations to the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC)
History:
- Initially established as the JICSpOC on October 1, 2015, it was intended to improve processes and procedures, ensuring data fusion among DoD, intelligence community, interagency, allied and commercial space entities
- On April 1, 2017, the JICSpOC was renamed the NSDC, to better clarify its role and eliminate confusion with the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC)
- On July 9, 2019, the NSDC dedicated its operations floor and a warfighter library to Senior Master Sergeant Harold Robert Mosley II, the NSDC's Command Senior Enlisted Leader in 2018
Current as of June 2022